This year I worked on producing my dissertation The Tartan Brand. My dissertation sought to answer the question, " In what ways are Scottish brands progressing Scottish culture?" This dissertation sets out to examine the ways Scottish brands are progressing Scottish culture. To do this it looks into the relationship of brands, Scottish culture, and the Scottish Nation brand by studying the modern history of Scottish culture and studying three key brands: Irn-Bru, Tennent’s and Siobhan Mackenzie. It establishes the genesis of Scottish culture as it is widely perceived to be in the early 19th century to which the nation brand is largely based on. As of the 1970’s there is a cultural shift which sees working class culture drawn to the forefront. The dissertation finds that the brands ultimately serve as icons of Scottish identity by establishing brand myths that respond to social values like diversity, sustainability and Scottishness. Through this they act as mirrors reflecting the contemporary society and progressively propelling the culture forward.

For the design of book I opted to go a contemporary editorial style, using two columns to break up the dense volume of text and having type well set to have an easy readability which would enable the reader to engage with the content. The visual motif for book was centred around the theme of Scottishness and utilised the saltire colour scheme to provide harmony and a distinct sense of identity. I made the creative decision to stray away from the use of tartan as I found it to have a stereotypical projection on what the dissertation could be about, and as the dissertation centres on moving past the older established nation brand towards one that represents a contemporary Scotland it felt more poignant to omit from using it.